Bench Press Ratio (Cooper DVR)

Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means

These norms describe one-repetition maximum bench press performance on a Universal DVR (Dynamic Variable Resistance) machine, divided by bodyweight. This equipment-specific ratio is not directly comparable to the site's barbell competition norms. Data are from Physical Fitness Assessments and Norms for Adults and Law Enforcement (Cooper Institute, Dallas TX, 2013) and are labelled as Cooper Clinic patient data. The displayed age groups contain 6,046 men and 1,134 women (n=7,180); an additional under-20 column is not shown here. This clinical, self-selected cohort is not a probability sample of US adults. The monograph is an institutional publication rather than a peer-reviewed article.

Data source: Cooper Institute (2013 Monograph) (2013) · n=7.2K About this study

Reference population: Mixed by table: Cooper Clinic patients (including sit-ups, bench press, and 1.5-mile run), employee wellness-program members (male push-ups), female US Army soldiers tested in the 1990s (female full-body push-ups), and unspecified Law Enforcement Studies data (vertical jump and 300m run)

Bench Press Ratio (Cooper DVR) Strength

Bench Press Ratio (Cooper DVR) Norms Chart by Age and Sex

Age Sex Percentile
5th 25th 50th 75th 95th
20-29 Male 0.72 0.90 1.06 1.26 1.63
Female 0.44 0.53 0.65 0.77 1.01
30-39 Male 0.65 0.81 0.93 1.08 1.35
Female 0.39 0.49 0.57 0.65 0.82
40-49 Male 0.59 0.74 0.84 0.96 1.20
Female 0.35 0.45 0.52 0.60 0.77
50-59 Male 0.53 0.66 0.75 0.87 1.05
Female 0.31 0.41 0.46 0.53 0.68
60+ Male 0.49 0.60 0.68 0.79 0.94
Female 0.26 0.39 0.45 0.53 0.72

What to expect by age group

Typical range (25th to 75th percentile) by age group
Age MalesFemales
20-29 0.90 to 1.260.53 to 0.77
30-39 0.81 to 1.080.49 to 0.65
40-49 0.74 to 0.960.45 to 0.60
50-59 0.66 to 0.870.41 to 0.53
60+ 0.60 to 0.790.39 to 0.53

Detailed Breakdowns

Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.

Males
20-2930-3940-4950-5960+
Females
20-2930-3940-4950-5960+
Age trend (percentiles)

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this differ from the barbell bench press norms on this site?

These values come from a Universal DVR machine protocol in Cooper Clinic patients, whereas the site's other bench press page uses free-weight competition barbell data from powerlifters. The population and equipment are both different, so the numbers are not directly comparable.

What is a DVR bench press machine?

DVR stands for Dynamic Variable Resistance. The Cooper monograph identifies the equipment as a Universal DVR bench press machine, but does not provide a full step-by-step protocol. The key point for interpretation is that this is a machine test, not a free-weight barbell bench press.

Why are these values lower than the powerlifter norms?

The two pages use different populations and different equipment. These values come from Cooper Clinic patients tested on a Universal DVR machine; the other page describes drug-tested, unequipped barbell competitors. The ratios should not be compared as if they were the same test.

How reliable is the source data?

The source is an institutional monograph rather than a peer-reviewed journal article. It reports age-cell counts for both sexes: the displayed ages total 6,046 men and 1,134 women. The table does not report recruitment dates or enough sampling detail to treat the cohort as population-representative.

Why does the female 60+ P95 value appear higher than the 50-59 P95?

The published female 60+ P95 is 0.72, compared with 0.68 at ages 50-59. The oldest displayed female cell contains 42 people, but the source does not explain the difference. Do not infer an age effect from one tail estimate.

Related Metrics

Cooper Institute Fitness Norms

This test is one of about ten norm charts in the Cooper Institute's 2013 monograph. Law enforcement academies pick five to six of these tests to build their own field batteries.